OSU-Texas: Who’s Got Who?
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
Made it safety to Austin, where just yesterday they were hurling snowballs and building snowmen and one young man even went skiing down the Capitol steps.
Today, however, there’s no evidence of the weather that was.
Thank, gawd, this annual trip is always about escaping the cold, not dragging it along across the border. And after being in Ames a week ago, the promise of warmth keeps you going.
Now, it’s up to the Cowboys to heat things up inside the Erwin Center tonight, where the Longhorns still haven’t revealed a definite starting five.
After losing point guard Dogus Balbay — one of the defensive stars of Texas’ win in Stillwater — to a blown knee, the Horns are likely to go big, with 6-6 forward Gary Johnson joining a front line of 6-7 Damion James and 6-10 Dexter Pittman.
That would make for matchup problems, not that it’s anything new for these vertically challenged Cowboys. But it could also create advantages for OSU on the offensive end, where the Horns would have to scramble to keep up with James Anderson and Co. on the perimeter.
As for the defensive dilemma should Texas look large, the Cowboys could sure use a re-appearance of Marshall Moses.
This has not been a welcoming town for OSU over the years. Since the formation of the Big 12, the Cowboys have won just twice in Austin. So the Pokes will be leaning heavily on the improved leadership that has been evident through a three-game winning streak.
“It’s been fun watching Obi (Muonelo) and James kind of taking this team under their wing a little bit and understanding what this time of year is all about,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “You can see they’ve raised their leadership ability this time of year. You can see the intensity they have and the sense of urgency they have.
“That’s been fun. They’re using their experience to help these younger kids, in practice, the day of games and things like that. We just hope it continues. It’s something these guys have worked on over an extended period of time this year. They haven’t always been comfortable doing that. But now’s a good time to have it, that’s for sure.”
Keiton Page, while just a sophomore, is contributing, too.
“I think Keiton provides it in that guys know that he was starting this time last year and playing a lot of minutes into the NCAA Tournament. He’s starting to speak up more.
“It’s pretty much those three and Nick (Sidorakis) can jump in there, the players respect him.”
And Ford emphasizes how important that kind of leadership can be during a season’s stretch run.
“It’s important this time of year,” Ford said, “as important as anything we do, making sure players hold themselves accountable. And holding players accountable is the leadership within the team. We’ve been doing it for a long time, but when you can get players doing it, that helps a lot.”
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